A Taste of Quiteño Culure

Buenos Dias!

It's safe to say that by now, I've settled into the routine of classes, pre-prac, and daily life at "home" in Quito! This week hasn't been all that exciting, but I thought I'd post some fun cultural facts and new words that I've learned.

Quichua Words: Quichua is the language of the indigenous people of Ecuador, and many Quiteños use some of these words in their daily life. The two I hear most often are:
wawa (no, not the convenience store - it's pronounced more like waug-wa):children, young people, is a term of endearment (cariño) used by parents and teachers alike
naña/o: sister/brother (it took me a long time to figure out what my host sisters were saying when they referred to each other as mi naña!)

Patience is a virtue...
I take two public buses to get from my home in North Quito to the university. If I could teach Ecuadorians one thing, it would be how to wait patiently for people to get off a bus. Instead of waiting for most people to get off the bus, everyone pushes and shoves through the doors so it's so congested that it's impossible to move!

First name basis
All students of all ages call their teachers and professors by their first names. I like this! It makes education a little more personal and decreases the emotional distance between teachers and students. Not only do they use first names, but they often add -ita or -ito, another sign of cariño, to the end. For example, Sandra -> Sandrita, Diego -> Diegito. Amanda has donned me "Caro," which sometimes becomes Carita! I like it, but it sounds much better with the Spanish r than it does in English.

Besos!
It is impolite here to not greet everyone in a room when you enter, especially at a social gathering. Women greet each other and men with the traditional greeting of a kiss on the right cheek, while men shake hands of hug. Even if you don't know someone, it's protocol to give a beso!

No empty nesters here!
In Quito, it seems that almost everyone lives with their parents until they are married, no matter how old they are. Many people in my group have siblings living at home who are in their late 20s and 30s! Since this is custom, PDA (public displays of affection) are much more common here than in the states because couples don't really have places to go alone without parents! We definitely notice this on campus!

It's nice to hang around Quito for the weekend. Last night, Eddie landed a gig at an awesome cafe and got to play his guitar and sing for an hour. We had a huge crowd there to support him, including some host parents and lots of gringo students from other universities in the states. Afterwards, a few of us went back to the salsa club! So much fun!! That's all for now, friends! I hope all is well (and not too cold!) where you are.